What countries in the world have recognized the Puppet Manchukuo?

A regime with illegitimate origins most needs recognition from others

The Puppet Manchukuo was the product of the September 18th Incident. In order to rule Northeast China for a long time, the Japanese Kwantung Army that initiated the incident dispatched Kenji Doihara, the head of the Fengtian secret service, to instigate a "plainclothes riot" in Tianjin, and brought Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty who lived in seclusion, to Changchun and established him as "Manchukuo" Taking power declared that this pseudo-regime was officially established. In March 1932, when the Puppet Manchuria was established, its "Foreign Minister" Xie Jieshi issued a notice to 17 countries including Japan, the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Italy, and the Soviet Union, hoping to establish diplomatic relations. However, except for Japan, which announced its recognition of Manchukuo in June, no other country responded positively. The United States even issued a statement earlier, announcing that it would not recognize any violations of the League of Nations Covenant and the Paris Convention.

After analyzing the situation, the Japanese authorities believe that only by gaining international recognition for the puppet Manchukuo regime can they carry out foreign trade and effectively reap benefits. The prerequisite for recognition of Manchukuo is de facto recognition by the Chinese government or recognition by the League of Nations. However, in February 1933, the League of Nations passed a resolution with an overwhelming majority of 44 votes in favor, 1 abstention, and 1 against, affirming China's sovereignty over Northeast China and not recognizing the legitimacy of the puppet Manchukuo, shattering Japan's dream.

Japan, the only country to vote against, subsequently announced its withdrawal from the League of Nations in protest, and turned its energy to inducing China to de facto recognize the puppet Manchukuo. In February 1934, when China and Japan were negotiating on postal issues between North China and Northeast China, Japan tried to create the illusion of recognition by allowing Manchukuo stamps to enter the customs. However, China has seen through the Japanese conspiracy and refuses to give in. It not only refuses to have the words "Manchuria Post" on the stamps and does not allow the postmark of "Manchukuo" to be affixed, but also does not allow "inappropriate" Puyi's face to be printed on the stamps. pattern". It was not until January 1935 that the two parties reached an agreement on the use of special stamps with only the word "Post" to implement postal services. Scholar He Huiqing commented, "The higher-level decision-making units of both parties realized that stamps are more effective than they imagined in recognizing sovereignty."

In March 1934, German journalist Ernst Kodez took the Siberian Express across the Soviet Union and came to Northeast China to interview Puyi, who had ascended the throne from the "ruling" to the "Emperor of the Manchurian Empire". When the emperor, who was proclaimed his emperor for the third time, asked Codes "How do you deal with the fact that no other country except Japan has recognized Manchukuo?", his answer was "We must first be able to prove that we are a country." , the hesitant mentality vividly emerged on the page.

Recognition from El Salvador

Unexpectedly, two months after Puyi accepted the interview with Cordes, a new diplomatic country came to the door. This country is not among the 17 countries that Manchukuo once sought recognition, nor is it a good neighbor of Japan. It is a remote small country in North America called El Salvador.

On May 21, 1934, El Salvador's Consul General in Tokyo, Japan, Galenza, informed Ding Shiyuan, Manchuria's only "minister abroad", that the country had announced its recognition of the "Manchu Empire" on March 3. As the news spread, all walks of life in China protested. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Nationalist Government called the League of Nations to request sanctions against El Salvador for this behavior. Investigating the reason, some people believe that this is the "retaliation" of El Salvador's military president Martinez for not being recognized by the United States since he came to power in 1932. Others believe that this national leader who pursues mysticism is once again following "the arrangements of God". "It's just arbitrary behavior.

For Japan and the Puppet Manchukuo at that time, this was undoubtedly a timely help, so they were naturally flattered. Even the coffee shipped from El Salvador for sale was personally packaged and promoted by officials from the Puppet Manchukuo Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Song Qihan, a puppet Manchukuo diplomat, recalled, "Everyone laughed and said: All countries recognize it like this, and foreign diplomats have become foreign shop clerks." Puyi also developed a special affection for El Salvador. According to legend, in October 1941, he tried to contact the Salvadoran mission and follow them to escape from Northeast China and escape Japanese control. Regardless of whether the facts are true or not, this was indeed Puyi's last chance - two months later, El Salvador announced that it would join the Allies and would never send envoys to Manchukuo again.

Germany did not recognize the Manchukuo regime until the war between China and Japan

In the 1930s, the relationship between Japan, Germany, and Italy became increasingly close. Japan had always hoped that Germany and Italy would recognize the Manchukuo regime. However, progress has been very slow, and Japan is particularly dissatisfied with Germany's attitude towards this.

In fact, since 1913, before the outbreak of the First World War, Germany’s total trade with China has exceeded Japan. In 1931, when the September 18th Incident broke out, Germany's total trade with China was 357 million marks, twice the total trade with Japan of 174 million marks. At the same time, compared with Japan, which is vigorously developing its own industry, China is the main market for German industrial products. Moreover, since the Nationalist Government announced the reunification of mainland China, its military construction has adopted the strategy of "taking Germany as the teacher". It not only hired German officers as military consultants to assist in training the troops, but also purchased a large number of German weapons and equipment. In this regard, Speer, the then president of the German Bank, concluded that "Germany's unemployment problem can be solved through trade exports to China."

With the Nazi Party's coming to power, Germany's Far East policy formed a struggle between the two groups. The Nazi Party, especially its Foreign Policy Department, advocated further developing relations with Japan and recognizing the Manchukuo regime to obtain the special economic status promised by Japan and obtain rewards. Government officials such as German Foreign Minister Neureiter and Ambassador to China Taudman advocated that trade with China was more important. Taudman also reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that after the September 18th Incident, German companies suffered in Northeast China. The situation of exclusion from Japan has further deepened the recognition of this view in the diplomatic community.

In addition, some German diplomats also believe that Japan seized the German colony in Qingdao during World War I and occupied many German small islands in the South Pacific after the war. We might as well use "recognition of Manchukuo" as the price to ask for some benefits from Japan.

Under this situation, it is not surprising that Germany’s attitude towards the puppet Manchukuo is hesitant or even wavering. In February 1934, German businessman Heyer, as a special commissioner of the German government, came to Northeast China with a letter written by Hess, deputy leader of the Nazi Party, to negotiate economic agreements with Japan and the puppet Manchukuo. In the same month, the German Foreign Ministry once again reiterated that it had no intention of immediately recognizing "Manchukuo", which led to the failure of Heyer's negotiations.

In the following years, Germany and Japan got closer and closer. Dixon, the German ambassador to Japan, also believed that Manchukuo was "the only trump card that Germany can use to obtain political or economic benefits from Japan." Some Nazi Party politicians also claimed that the main product Germany imported from China was soybeans, which originated in Northeast China, and admitted that Manchukuo would not have an impact on this. But for Germany, which is actively expanding its armaments, China's tungsten ore resources, which account for more than 50% of total imports, are irreplaceable and cannot be given up easily. Therefore, there has been no progress in recognizing Manchukuo.

Until the early days of the Sino-Japanese war in 1937, Germany still had no intention of recognizing the puppet Manchukuo, and even refused Japan’s request to withdraw military advisers from the Chinese army. Ambassador Todman to China He also acted as an intermediary between the two countries in seeking an armistice. However, with the defeat of the Chinese army in the Battle of Songhu and the Battle of Nanjing, and the signing of the Sino-Soviet non-aggression treaty, Germany finally chose to turn to Japan. In November 1937, Italy, Germany's ally, took the lead in formally recognizing Manchukuo after joining the "International Anti-Communist Agreement" signed by Japan and Germany. In February of the following year, Hitler announced in his speech to the Reichstag that he would recognize Manchukuo. On May 12, Germany and Manchukuo signed a treaty of reconciliation in Berlin. Although the Chinese government has carried out active diplomatic activities, it has ultimately been of no avail.

The relationship between Manchukuo and the Soviet Union has always been good

Out of considerations of national interests, the Soviet Union, the first socialist country in human history, was "clearer" than Germany on the Manchukuo issue. "Much more." One month after the September 18th Incident, the Soviet Deputy People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Karakhan declared to the Japanese Ambassador to the Soviet Union Koki Hirota that he would adopt non-interventionism in the Sino-Japanese conflict. In December 1931, the Soviet People's Commissar for Foreign Affairs Livitnov also proposed to Japan a proposal to sign a Japan-Soviet non-aggression treaty. A few years ago, the Soviet Union fought a war with Zhang Xueliang's department of the Chinese army to protect the Middle East Railway. At this time, in order to show sincerity to Japan and avoid conflicts, they not only allowed the Japanese army to use the China Eastern Railway when attacking Harbin, but even sold this railway to the puppet Manchukuo.

After the establishment of the puppet Manchukuo regime, European countries generally retained their original consulates in Northeast China, and the Soviet Union was no exception. But the Soviet Union was the only one that allowed the puppet Manchukuo to come and set up consulates. At the beginning of the "foundation of the Puppet Manchuria", consulates were established in Hailanpao and Chita in the Soviet Union. According to Wang Tifu, who once served as secretary of the Puppet Manchukuo Consulate in Chita, "the diplomatic relations between the Soviet Union and the Puppet Manchukuo were reluctant." After Puyi proclaimed himself emperor in March 1934, the Chita Consulate held a banquet, and the Soviet mayor of Chita and the commander of the military region also came to attend.

After several conflicts in Zhanggufeng and Nomenkan, the Soviet Union and Japan signed the "Soviet-Japanese Neutrality Treaty" in April 1941, which specifically stated that "the Soviet Union guaranteed to respect the territorial integrity and inviolability of Manchukuo. Japan pledged to respect the territorial integrity and inviolability of the Mongolian People's Republic," and formally recognized the Puppet Manchukuo in exchange for Japan's recognition of the "Mongolian People's Republic." The Chinese government was "extremely angry" at the mutual recognition of the separatist regime on Chinese territory by friendly countries and enemy countries, but it had to restrain itself because it needed support from the Soviet Union to continue the war against Japan.

Before the outbreak of World War II, Poland was once very close to Japan, and therefore recognized the puppet Manchukuo. However, the Sikorski government, which was in exile in the United Kingdom after the fall of Poland, announced in February 1942 that it would cancel recognition. After the outbreak of World War II, several small countries such as Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria that joined the Axis Powers, pro-fascist countries such as Spain, Denmark, Finland, and Thailand, and the German-made puppet regimes of Vichy France, Slovakia, and Croatia successively announced their recognition of the puppet regime. Full. The Vatican also appointed the "Apostolic Vicar of Jilin Region" Gao Dehui in 1934 to be responsible for "negotiating with the Manchukuo government." Whether this constitutes recognition of the Puppet Manchukuo has been controversial, but in the "Ten Years of the Founding of Manchuria" published by the Puppet Manchukuo in 1942, The Vatican is not listed among the countries that recognize Manchukuo.

In addition, among the "diplomatic countries" of the puppet Manchuria, there are several puppet governments such as the Japanese-made "Free India" government, the Bamo regime in Myanmar, and the Laurel regime in the Philippines. The two Mongolian regimes under Su Yu's wing and Wang Jingwei's pseudo-National Government.

Who recognized the Wang Puppet regime?

"What is easy for you is difficult for me." Wang Jingwei, the vice president of the Kuomintang, said these words to Chiang Kai-shek with full of tragedy, and then embarked on the road of no return as a traitor. On March 30, 1940, a National Government spearheaded by the Kuomintang veteran Wang Jingwei was established in Nanjing, known as the "Wang Ji Government" or the "Wang Puppet Regime".

From the day of its establishment, the Wang puppets had to survive under the wings of Japan. Some people among the people tried to support the Wang Puppet regime and wrote a couplet: "The country is not long, Emperor Yuan is more than eighty years old; the borders are bound to be flat, and the Wang regime is in three or two streets." This couplet vividly describes the difficulties of the Wang Puppet regime. Two or three points Orders were valid within the streets, but no one listened to them outside Nanjing City.

On the other hand, what the Wang Puppet looks forward to most is the recognition of others. Their mentality is exactly the same as that of the Puppet Manchukuo. They are particularly concerned about other people's opinions about anything of unknown origin.

The earliest recognizers were naturally Japan and the Puppet Manchukuo

Although the Wangji government was a puppet regime instigated and planned by the Japanese, the Japanese did not immediately Admit it. The two sides did not conclude the "Treaty on Basic Relations between China and Japan" until August 31. This could be regarded as completing the procedures for mutual recognition, and the Wang Puppet Government had its first partner.

Only one is not enough, the Wang Ji government also has a small partner, the puppet Manchukuo. But Wang Ji's government had mixed feelings about the puppet Manchukuo. As a territory of the Republic of China, recognizing the puppet Manchukuo would be traitorous. In the previous secret mediation talks between Japan and Chongqing, the two sides got stuck on this issue.

Japan also urgently needs Wang Puppet and Manchukuo to recognize each other, so that they can have a triangular foundation for proposing a "New Order in Greater East Asia". In November 1940, the three parties finally signed a joint declaration, which was regarded as a formal affair.

On December 10, 1940, Wang Puppet Special Envoy and Foreign Minister Xu Liang went to "Xinjing" and submitted his "credentials" to Puyi, starting the so-called "state diplomatic relations." In January and August 1941, the Manchukuo and Wang puppets staged a farce of sending "ambassadors" to each other.

Among the various countries and "regimes" that recognized the Puppet Manchukuo, the funniest one was undoubtedly the Wang Puppet. According to the "Nationality Law" of the Puppet Manchukuo, all residents living in Manchukuo have Manchu nationality, so there are no "Chinese expatriates" in the Puppet Manchukuo. Even Zheng Chengbin, the former inspector of the Tianjin Police Bureau of the puppet interim government in Beijing, after returning to his hometown of Shenyang to attend to his father's funeral, was also accused by the local police station of saying, "You are a Manchukuo and should serve in Manchukuo. Chu talents are not allowed to be promoted." , prohibiting him from "leaving (Puppet Manchukuo) Country" and "returning (Wang Puppet Republic of China) Country".

Wang Jingwei was at a loss as to what to do about this unclear relationship. To calm the anger of the Chinese people, he could only show his posture. In the spring of 1942, Wang Jingwei "visited" the puppet Manchukuo and gave a speech: "We We were compatriots in the past, we are still compatriots today, and we will be compatriots in the future." He was vague about the relationship between the people of the two places.

Wang Puppet diplomat Zhou Yifeng commented, "The establishment of (Wang Puppet) embassy on Chinese territory has become a laughing stock, and the establishment of a consulate without overseas Chinese is even more of a joke." But in order to give the puppet Manchukuo a better appearance, the Wang puppet regime still set up two consulates in Shenyang and Harbin. Of course, these consulates had nothing to do. The Harbin consulate delayed its official opening for a year because it could not find a suitable house, and it had no impact. "International Relations".

The diplomatic space of the Wang puppet is narrower than that of the puppet Manchukuo

After the Wang puppet regime came into power, what the Japanese were most concerned about was the recognition of it by Germany, the leader of the Axis powers. However, Germany has always maintained a good relationship with the Chongqing National Government, and recognizing the Wang puppet is also a very tortuous process.

At the time when the three families of Japan, Manchuria and Wang were colluding into adultery, Germany still expected to act as an intermediary to broker a deal between Japan and Chongqing on the condition that the Manchuria, Mongolia and Japanese troops were recognized to withdraw from central and southern China. Chongqing naturally refused. Germany's efforts lasted until January 1941, and it was still working hard for mediation. However, Chongqing insisted that the Japanese troops withdraw before starting negotiations, and Germany gave up.

The turning point in the relationship between the Wang puppet and Germany was the "Triple Alliance Treaty" signed by Germany, Italy and Japan on September 27, 1940. Germany's attitude towards the war between China and Japan changed, but due to the need to import tungsten from China Mine, Germany is still unwilling to break up with Chongqing.

It was not until Hitler decided to attack the Soviet Union that Germany's diplomatic attitude completely abandoned the Chongqing National Government. At this time, Chongqing and the Soviet Union had signed a non-aggression treaty, and the Soviet Union provided the government with large amounts of military assistance.

On June 22, 1941, Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Germany recognized the Wang Puppet Government in exchange for Japan's determination to fight against the Soviet Union: "We decided to recognize the Wang Jingwei government on July 1."

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On July 1st, German Consul General in Nanjing Giplich forwarded a telegram for the establishment of diplomatic relations. It can be said that this is a day worth celebrating for the Wang Puppet regime, because the European axis countries led by Germany, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Croatia also recognized Wang's puppet regime on the same day.

As for those who recognize Wang Puppet, in addition to the European Axis countries, there are also a few little brothers that Japan has won over in Asia, such as Thailand, the "Free India" government, the Bamo regime in Myanmar, and the Laurel regime in the Philippines. The situation of several other puppet governments is similar to that of the Puppet Manchukuo.

The "Diplomatic Victory" of the Wang Puppet Regime: Recovering the Concession

After gaining recognition from the Axis Powers, the Wang Puppet Regime was not satisfied with diplomacy. , did a useful thing, taking back the concessions of the great powers and abolishing extraterritoriality.

As early as 1938, in the negotiations between Wang Jingwei and Japan, there was an agreement to abolish Japan’s extraterritorial rights in China and return the concession. It should be said that Japan’s withdrawal of troops and the recovery of its rights and interests in China were made by Wang Ji on the pirate ship. Important bait.

As a result, the withdrawal was not recognized by the Japanese military, so the only thing left was to recover the concession and abolish extraterritoriality. The "Basic Relations Treaty" of November 30, 1940 also had relevant provisions, so after the establishment of the Wang Puppet regime, an internal document "Research on the Resumption of the Concession" was drafted.

At that time, before the outbreak of the Pacific War, the European and American concessions in China had no conditions for giving up, and Japan was not very active in this matter, so the matter has been delayed.

It was not until the outbreak of the Pacific War that things turned around. The Japanese army invaded the concessions of Britain, the United States and other countries in China, and first returned the British and American concessions in Guangzhou and Tianjin to the Wang puppet in February 1942. Regarding this, Wang Puppet was really excited for a while and trumpeted: "Friendly countries respect our sovereignty, which can be seen from this. The success of the Chinese revolution requires Japan's assistance, and the liberation of East Asia is also proved by this." However, the Japanese side was only superficial. In return, the Japanese side still has the final say on important affairs in the concession, and Wang Puppet has no choice but to rely on others.

On December 18, 1942, Japan issued a new policy towards China, which included the proposal that concessions and extraterritorial rights should be quickly revoked. Wang Jingwei was scheduled to visit Japan the following year. Concessions and extraterritoriality were important matters in the negotiations. The two sides agreed to implement Wang's declaration of war on Britain and the United States on January 15, 1943, and at the same time recover their rights and interests in China.

Who knows that things have changed? Japan has learned that the United States is about to review and approve the "China-US New Treaty", which may also take back the concession and abolish legal rights. So the two sides signed the "Agreement on the Return of the Concession and the Abolition of Extraterritorial Rights" in Nanjing on January 9.

On March 30, the administrative power of the Japanese concessions in seven places including Hangzhou and Suzhou was transferred to the Wang Puppet regime. At the same time, Japan, Italy, the French Vichy government, and Spain signed contracts with the Wang puppet to hand over the rights and interests of the embassy in Beijing. Then the Xiamen Gulangyu Public Concession and the Shanghai Public Concession were successively taken over by the Wang Puppet.

In addition, from August 1, 1943, Japanese subjects must "obey the taxation decrees of the Wang government" as the first step in Japan's abolition of extraterritorial jurisdiction. Then Italy, Vichy France, etc. also successively deposed power.

This "diplomatic achievement" has become an important source of "legitimacy" for the puppet regime. Zhou Fohai said excitedly: "Most of the so-called unequal treaties have been canceled by our hands. The peace movement has only had an explanation now. After the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the Chongqing National Government, as a victorious country, took back all the concessions of the great powers in China and abolished all unequal treaties! , in the eyes of Wang’s puppet officials, it was not prestigious. When the puppet foreign minister Chu Minyi was about to die, he did not forget to tease: “After the victory, the central government (Chongqing government) also proposed a regulation to take over the concession by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which was passed by the Executive Yuan Implementation. I think the concession has already been taken over. Should we hold a ceremony or celebration with the relevant countries to take over the concession? That’s a joke! ”